Charlotte’s intrusion into his office had occupied his thoughts for hours, but a measure of equilibrium was returning: firstly, because he’d set some action in motion that would hopefully counter Jago Ross’s determination to ruin Strike along with his estranged wife; secondly, because this was his second triple whisky; and, lastly, because the habit of mental discipline that had stood him in good stead throughout his career had reinstated itself. Work had always been his best refuge, and if his own emotions weren’t yet entirely subduable, he could at least attempt to impose order on the messy problem of Anomie. So he pulled out his phone and tried, one more time, to sign up for Drek’s Game, but as had happened every other time, Harty appeared, shrugged and told him to try again later.
Setting his mobile down on the bed, Strike took a swig of Scotch, then picked up Robin’s printed notes on the Pen of Justice blog, and began to read.
Note on the Pen of Justice Blog
The anonymous Pen of Justice blog was started in January 2012. Whoever’s behind it is on Twitter as @penjustwrites. Their location isn’t disclosed. The focus of the blog is to critique pop culture. However, the Pen of Justice writes at least three blogs about The Ink Black Heart for every one they write about other shows/movies. Anomie has only once shared a Pen of Justice blog (see attached).
Anomie and the Pen of Justice have interacted with each other occasionally. If the same person’s behind both Anomie’s account and the Pen of Justice blog, they’re being careful to maintain two different characters online. Broadly speaking, Anomie seems to share anything that casts Edie Ledwell in a bad light, whereas the Pen of Justice mostly critiques the alleged flaws in the cartoon, and in other shows, from a socio-political standpoint.
After Edie tried to kill herself in May 2014, Anomie and the Pen of Justice were both accused of having hounded her into it. Anomie claimed Ledwell’s suicide attempt was faked. The Pen of Justice went quiet for six weeks, then returned with a blog post entitled ‘Why Call Out Culture is a Powerful Tool for Social Change’, which concluded:
I’ve been accused of trying to ‘shame’ and ‘bully’ people into conformity with my views. Well, I make no apology for this. If society is to change for the better, if it is to be inclusive of all races, all genders, all people with disabilities, making bigots scared is no bad place to start. So-called ‘cancel culture’ is really no more than holding people accountable for the views they are intentionally putting out into the public sphere.
Do I want Edie Ledwell dead? Of course not.
Does Edie Ledwell make the world a more unsafe place for marginalised groups with every thoughtless stereotype she puts on screen? Yes, she does.
I’m glad she’s feeling better. Now I want to see her do better.
Although Morehouse (Anomie’s co-creator of the game) has denied it, there’s a persistent rumour in the Ink Black Heart fandom that he writes the Pen of Justice blog. The theory first surfaced in January 2013 (see attached tweets).
Strike flipped over the page and saw a line of printed-out tweets.
Penny Peacock @rachledbadly
@theMorehou©e I know you wrote this
www.ThePenOfJustice/WhyThe…
Morehouse @theMorehou©e
replying to @rachledbadly
Nope
Penny Peacock @rachledbadly
replying to @theMorehou©e
Heisenberg
Morehouse @theMorehou©e
replying to @rachledbadly
You’re as wrong about me being The Pen of Justice as you are about uncertainty principle
Penny Peacock @rachledbadly
replying to @theMorehou©e
lol
Mags Pie @maggiespie25
replying to @suze_mcmillan @rachledbadly @theMorehou©e
Wait, what? Morehouse = The Pen of Justice?????
Carol S @CJS_inkheart
replying to @maggiespie25 @suze_mcmillan @rachledbadly @theMorehou©e
This blog is spot on, the Ink Black Heart is ableist af
Dan Spinkman @SpinkyDan
replying to @CJS_inkheart @maggiespie25 @suze_mcmillan @rachledbadly @theMorehou©e
It’s a cartoon about corpses. Be kind of strange if they were in perfect health
Kea Niven @realPaperwhite
replying to @SpinkyDan @CJS_inkheart @maggiespie25 @suze_mcmillan @rachledbadly @theMorehou©e
please do ablesplain why disabled people like me should have to tolerate this kind of fucking “humour” #spoonie #ableism #TheInkBlackHeart
Lepine’s Disciple @Lep1nesDisciple
replying to @realPaperwhite @SpinkyDan @CJS_inkheart @maggiespie25 @suze_mcmillan @rachledbadly @theMorehou©e
being too ugly to fuck ≠ being disabled
Strike had the feeling he’d just seen a name that ought to mean something to him but, possibly because he’d consumed a third of a bottle of whisky, he couldn’t put his finger on it. He turned to the next page, across the top of which Robin had written: This is the article by the Pen of Justice that Anomie retweeted.
Why The Ink Black Heart Is Seriously Ableist and Why That Should Trouble You
Content Warning: this article will use terms and words relating to physical and mental disabilities that you may find offensive, derogatory or hurtful. While I’m using these terms for educational purposes, I would strongly advise you practising sensible self-care and postponing a read if you’re currently in a place of pain or vulnerability, or feeling unsafe in your current environment. The issues with which this piece engages will necessarily be a triggering subject for many people with disabilities.
Strike paused to scratch his leg at the point where the end of his stump met the prosthesis, a pointless exercise as the itch originated in the nerve endings that refused to believe his lower leg was absent.
Casual ableism is everywhere. When did you last go an entire day without hearing or reading somebody using the words idiot, cretin, moron, dumb, dim, nuts, insane, lame, daft, delusional, deranged, demented, crazy, mad, deformed, handicapped, disorder, hysterical, sociopath or narc?
Representation of people with disabilities in popular culture is extremely poor, both in terms of quantity and quality. On the rare occasion we see a person with disabilities on screen, they are usually played by an able-bodied actor. Moreover, characters with disabilities are generally defined by their physical or mental issue in superficial or stereotypical ways.
Given that one of the creators claims to have had mental health issues, one might have expected The Ink Black Heart to buck this trend. Unfortunately, it is undoubtedly one of the greatest offenders currently on our screens.